Hello, guys! I needed some ideas for posts for this year (ideas are nonexistent, hahaha) so I thought I'd sit down and puzzle through something that's really been getting into my head lately: settings. We focus so much, in writing, on the story, the plot, the characters, the emotions--but how much time do we spend on setting? 

I've always felt like setting is crucial to a story. Especially as I'm watching more TV shows, I'm starting to see that. I'll probably do a post down the line about stories that use setting as a character and how important that is for fantasy worlds, but that's for another day. For right now, I'm going to start with one of my favorite topics: writing what you know.

Especially in settings, this is SO important. I struggle deeply with visualizing my stories thanks to my lack of a visual imagination. However, what I can do is go find a photo of somewhere I've been. Somewhere I can see in front of me. Somewhere I have memories of. Here are some reasons for that:

1. If you've been somewhere, you'll automatically immerse the reader in it when you write about it.

2. You cannot invent, out of your own mind, a truly amazing setting.

3. Using a unique real-world setting for a fantasy story will make your fantasy story more unique.

4. You're probably not an architect, so basing a building on a real place makes your houses instantly cooler.

 so. here we are. another year has begun. maybe there was a little fanfare, maybe none at all. but either way, the clock now says '22. so interesting that we invented such a detailed way of keeping track of time. We know we aren't supposed to be tied to this temporal reality, and so we overcompensate. time. time. time.

it's another year.

if you need the motivation, it can be helpful to look at it and think, okay, 365 days to accomplish this thing i want to get done. but at the same time, start now. start now and keep going. while you're motivated, accomplish what you want to. get to the finish line. completing something in april is still something you accomplished this year. it's not bad. you're succeeding. get it done. be reasonable, be realistic, but chase your dreams.

but at the same time--

it's okay to be tired, dear one. you can take a deep breath. you can sit down. don't let this year put pressure on you. just because others make "resolutions" doesn't mean you have to.

there's no shame in rest.

whether you churn things out or do it slowly...you're still accomplishing something. i have written books in 30 days and i've written books that took three years. i'm learning to accept that both ways are okay. that my worth is not tied to how fast i can churn out a book. it hurts a little, to know that my productivity levels aren't the same and may never be again. 

but this is a different me. a me who's been through a little more, who's seen a little more world, who has more sitting on her now. this is a different me from the one who could just write for hours and hours. she gets tired. she falls asleep faster. she's got school school school in every direction. it's a lot. it feels like a lot to handle.

but i can do this. in God's strength, not my own. because it isn't up to me. it's not all about me. my life is not my own and i have been bought with a price.

the way i express my gratitude is by living for him. and sometimes, that looks like insane productivity. other times, that looks like sitting with someone hurting and holding their hand for a few hours. sometimes it means that rehearsal for leading worship comes up, and that's more important than homework. 

it's finding the balance between wanting to do well in classes and remembering that grades aren't always the single most important thing. 

it's going to bed at night, because your body needs to be taken care of.

it's learning what it looks like to show self care, even with chronic illnesses. 

it's loving yourself the way God loves you--as His beautiful creation, who he made and who he loves.

happy new year <3